Chapter 16

In the long dark of her endless half-sleep, Phae drifted helplessly on her way.

The countryside rushed past beneath her feet. Up ahead the dark mage rode swiftly onwards, a long thick piece of rope trailing from his horse back to where she floated behind him, the rope tied with a thick knot round her waist. Wherever it was the dark mage planned to take her next, he sure was in a hurry.

"Don't look so miserable girl you should count yourself lucky I'm not making you walk!"

Phae remained silent. She didn't know what to say. She never knew what to say anymore. She had already learnt that the mage knew her father. Of course, she knew the stories of how her parents had met and had defeated the evil schemes of the dark mage Varrus, but this couldn't be

Her thoughts trailed off as up ahead the dark mage allowed his horse to slow and she found herself drifting closer towards him.

The dark mage drew to a halt. As he did so, Phae floated past him only to be jerked back by the strong rope. Varrus climbed down from his horse.

"Time for you to rest I think"

With these words, once more, Phae's world went blank.

*****

A fortnight passed maybe even an entire month she couldn't tell.

Each day was the same as the last. Every day she'd wake mid-morning to find she was still being dragged helplessly behind the dark mage's horse. After a few hours, they'd stop to rest and take on water before briskly continuing on their way. Hours and hours would then pass them by until finally the mage would draw to a halt, dismount, and send her back into the world of darkness.

Not that the world of grey is much better

In a world stripped of colour the difference between night and day was meaningless. Just when she thought it might be day time, she'd spot things that would tell her otherwise: owls hunting in nearby woods; foxes out on patrol.

Was the mage really riding non-stop?

Certainly, the rate at which he got through horses suggested as much. She never quite got to see how he obtained them as she was always "asleep" when it happened. This was perhaps a small blessing given how he was likely to have taken them. She certainly didn't want any more deaths weighing on her mind.

She paused to consider the number of horses the dark mage had ridden to exhaustion and then abandoned, but when she got past a dozen, she started to lose count. However, one thing was for sure: she was now a very, very long way from home.

Just then, up ahead the dark mage started to slow. Phae braced herself for the impending jerking motion that would pull her to a stop as the rope reached its limit. It was never a pleasant experience.

The mage dismounted and walked over to her.

"Nearly there now girl. Nearly time for your second task."

With these words, once more Phae's world went blank.

*****

Phae's eyes snapped open. As soon as they did she knew they had reached the end of their journey. Ten enormous monoliths rose up out of the darkness, surrounding them on all sides, hemming them in from the world beyond. Such was the size and majesty of the huge monolith structures she almost missed the small form of the dark mage a little way ahead of her, muttering to himself as he made his preparations.

"Ah the scene of my great defeat curse that boy and his meddling! I'll make him pay alright. And that pretty young daughter of his too oh she'll pay for the pair of them when I'm done, oh yes"

At that moment the dark mage turned. "Ah good, I see you've joined us at last. I was just considering how best I might make you suffer once we're done."

Phae's temper rose. "I heard what you were saying mage. He'll come for you. He'll destroy you just as he did last time. I know who you are Varrus!"

Varrus smirked with delight. "My-oh-my we are a clever one, aren't we? Can't have gained that from your father's side that's for sure! Come to think of it, who is your mother?"

Phae locked her mouth tightly shut. She wouldn't tell him for all the pain in the world. It might just be the one thing that could save her.

Varrus shrugged and extended his hand towards her. Once more his voice took on that same alluring tone that had so easily deceived her when they first met. She struggled to resist. "Come my child, don't you worry about telling me just yet. There will be plenty of time for talking later; right now, I need you to do something for me. I need you to remember the spell I taught you at the Lake."

Phae's body went stiff. She could feel the powers building within her. The magic was not of her own making. Again, she was completely helpless.

The voice of the dark mage entered her mind.

"Well done child, I see you've remembered my spell perfectly. This second source should be as nothing to a mage as powerful as you. You should consider yourself privileged. No ordinary mortal should have access to the power of the gods. You find yourself, in a most privileged position."

Phae gulped. She did her best to ignore the mage and instead focus on not being sick. Since they had closed the first source her headaches had certainly been better most likely something of the mage's doing but now, here at the second source, they returned with a vengeance. Nausea swept through her body. She swallowed back the rising sickness in her stomach.

"That's it my child. Only a little more now."

In front of her Phae saw a ring of stone set in the ground. From her father's stories she knew this must have been the place her father had first foiled Varrus' plans to destroy the realm of men.

And here she was, daughter of two of the heroes of the realm, undoing all the good they had done in years past; undoing the realm itself.

The weight of history and the burden of her unwilling task hung heavy on her shoulders. She could sense the dark mage's delight as the second source began to rise up out of the ground.

"Yes good"

As before, she set to work manipulating the glowing colour sphere in strange contorted patterns. The world itself seemed to bend around her hands.

And then nothing.

As her spell reached its climax the source faded and shrunk to a size no bigger than her fist. She wanted to weep, but her tears had dried up many weeks before. Instead she retched violently as the dark mage's presence left her and her stomach decided it had seen enough.

There was little more the dark mage could do now to make her feel any worse than she did. All she could do was close her eyes and pray that the pain would go away. She didn't have long before her prayers were answered.